The Stampede open at home tonight against the perennially tough Lincoln Stars. Opening night is always fun because, given the inevitable turnover each year in junior hockey, it is your first chance to see the team that has been built for the new season. This year should be even more exciting with the abolition of the rule against the two line pass (most simply defined as when a member of the attacking team passes the puck from behind his own defending blue line to a teammate across the red center line). My eldest daughter’s college fund would be huge if she had a dollar for every time she heard me say, “God I hate that rule.”

Some kudos are due the local daily for its coverage of this year’s team and the rule changes in Friday’s sports section. And perhaps as proof the hockey gods are smiling upon me, the period lengths (even including stoppages for whistles, etc.) are within the current sitting restrictions imposed by my orthopedist.